Method and apparatus for manufacturing slide fasteners



March 19, 1946. on- 2,396,727

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING SLIDE FASTENERS Filed Nov. 1, 1940 '5 Sheets-Sheet 1- MINIMUM! I.

82 INVENTOR MAUE/CE 1/0 7y 4 IiTTORNEY March 19, 1946. g4, vom v 2,396,727

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING SLIDE FASTENERS Filed Nov. 1, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 lee T? r n I I I DO INVENTOR MflZ/P/CE VO/TY ATTORNEY M. VOITY 2,396,727

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING SLIDE FASTENERS k March 19-, 1946.

Filed Nov. 1, 1940 INVENTOR rg Mfll/E/CE VO/TY M. VOITY 2,396,727 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING SLIDE FASTENERS March 19, 1946,

' 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Nov. 1, 1940 M. VOITY 2,396,727

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURINGv SLIDE FASTENERS March 19, 1946.

Filed Nov. 1, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 a: 5 Q: 5 A 3 S \Tx? ORNEY Y. R7 5 M ma D A w M Patentecl Mar. 19, 1946 UNITED STAT METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAN UFAC- TUBING SLIDE FASTENERS Maurice Voity, Long Island City, N. Y., asslgnor to Universal Slide Fastener Co. Inc., Long Island City, N. Y., a corporation of New York ApplicationNovember 1; 1940, Serial No. 363,805

17 Claims.

This invention relates to a methodand means for rapidly forming long strips of integrally connected slide fastener elements by progressively coining groups of fastener elements in flat stock in a high speed reciprocating power press and for accurately spacing the individual elements and groups of elements along the strip by means of anchoring and piloting mechanisms.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be exemplifled in the construction hereinafter described, and of which the scope of application will be indicated in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which is shown one of the various possible embodiments of this invention: I

Fig. 1 is a front view of a press embodying my invention;

Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are enlarged sectional views taken along the lines 22, 3-3, 4--4 of Fig. 1,

' and illustrating respectively the stationary die,

the moving die and the stripping plate;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view through the dies when the same are in operative relationship, the same being taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

1 Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are sectional views taken along the lines 8-8, 8-8 of Fig. 5, and illustrating respectively the action of the stripping finger, the anchoring die and the piloting die;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view in partial section showing the die member of the press in the process of forming a strip containing a series of slide fastener elements;

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the stationary die;

Fig. 11 is an enlarged perspective view of an individual slide fastener element separated from the formed strip;

ments are thus reduced to a minimum. The strip is formed with great speed and accuracy by stamping successive groups of heads and serrating the edges of the strip to provide the outer edges of the jaws. In order to insure the proper spacing between groups of elements thus stamped, I also provide anchoring and piloting mechanisms in association with the head forming and serrating dies. The formed strip, after stamping, is wound about a suitable holding device, such as a bobbin, and is subsequently fed into an assembling machine where single elements are successively severed from the end of the strip and clamped immediately prior to complete severance in spaced relationship onto the beaded edge of a stringer tape.

Referring now to Figs. 1 through 10, I have illustrated a high speed reciprocating power press 40 which employs cooperating die members constructed in accordance with my invention to work a narrow, thin, flat continuous strip of stock. Said press comprises a frame 42 on which are supported a pair of vertical'standards 43 and a horizontal bed plate 44. Constraining slides 45 are provided in the standards 43 to receive a crosshead 46 on the lower face of which is adjustably mounted an upper die shoe 48. The crosshead 48 is driven by a connecting rod 50 journaled at of the standards 43, and which is driven by a power.

belt 56 and pulley 58 from a suitable source of A strip feeding means 60, such as is well known in the art, is mounted on the bedplate 44 Figs. 12. 13 and 14 are top, side and bottom views, respectively, of a strip formed in accordance with my invention; and

Fig. 15 is a sectional view of said strip taken along the line l5-I5 of Fig. 13.

Generally, I accomplish the foregoing objects bystamping a strip of continuous stock with a pair of cooperating dies to forma series of slide fastener elements, the shaped head of eachof which is nested between and integral with the spread legs of the next following element. In this manner no stock whatsoever is interposed between adjacent elements in the strip and wastand is actuated by the crank shaft 52 through the linkage system illustrated at 84. The strip feeding means 80 is adjusted and synchronized to feed at one stroke, while the dies are separated, a predetermined lengthof strip S which in the illustrated embodiment of my invention is substantially equal to the span of four heads (see --Fig. 12).

The upper die 68 (Figs. 3, 5, and 9), which is impart-to the upper surface of the strip 8 the configuration indicated in Figs. 12; 13 and 15.

In the form illustrated, the die block 68 contains ten recesses 12 and is therefore adapted to age of material and space occupied by the elesimultaneously stamp a group of ten heads although a length of strip 8 equivalent only to four heads is advanced between each stroke of the crosshead 48. Due to this construction. the first thus ensuring accurate spacing between succes sive groups which spacing would otherwise be "varied due to the flowing of metal in the strip during the coining operation.

Although I have found that a ratio between the lengths of the coining portion 12a and the anchoring portion 72b in the order of four to six has given highly satisfactory results, I also contemplate the use of longer or shorter anchoring portions immediately following the coining portion.

It will be noted that the strip 8 is appreciably broadened during swaging so that the flat stock may originally be furnished somewhat narrower in size than the over-all width of the formed strip shown in Fig. 12.

Adjacent the recess 88 in the jacket 81 I provide an aligned slightly larger recess 13 for holding the dies which cut out serrations along the sides of the strip to form the edges of the jaws. These dies comprise a pair of parallel two-section shearing punches I4 and 18, each of which has a pair of spaced serrated cutting edges 18 and 18. The serrated edges 18 have their lower faces 18a. disposed a short distance below the lower faces 18a of the serrated edges 18. The punches I8 and II may be force-fitted in the recess 18 and maintained in proper relationship relative to each other and the die block 88 by means of a spacing block 18 and a guiding heel 88. In order to facilitate assembly of the punches i4 and 18 in the recess 18. the comers thereof may be relieved as indicated at 8|.

The serrated cutting edges l8 and I8 are so designed in this form of my invention that they will cut a group bf serrations comprising the outer edges of four jaws in predetermined relationship to a corresponding group of four heads previously formed in the coining operation. However, only the first groups of edges 18 actually perform any cutting. The second groups 18, due to the position of their lower faces 18a, engage the strip 8 in serrations previously cut by the edges 16 before the next group of serration is cut and thus pilot said stripTIrflhis-manner I ensure proper registration relative to the strip of the coining and anchoring portions 12a and fliraswell as the cutting edges 18. The piloting edges "should be slightly raked. as indicated atl8b, to facilitate bringing the strip into registration.

Although I have shown'the piloting edges 18 as consisting of a plurality of serrations equal to the number of heads and Jaw edges coined and cut in one group, and as being spaced from the cutting edges 18 a distance approximately equal to the span of these cutting edges. it will be un-- derstood that more or fewer piloting serrations maybe employedand that these serrations may be spaced closer to or further away from the cutting edges 18. It will be noted, however, that the space between the nearest disposed piloting and cutting serrations is equal-to a whole multiple of the span of adjacent cutting serrations.

A lower stationarynieshoe 82 (rigs- 2,7,5, 9,

is bolted down to the bedplate 48 and carries a jacket 88 having an elongated recess 84 out there. through and provided with channels 85 to receive the guiding heels 80 in a sliding fit. Suitably mounted in one 'end of the recess 84, as by a screw and backing plate 83a similar to the screw Ill and backing plate H, is a lower die block 86 from which projects a group of ten identical aligned nubs 81, each of said nubs being in registration with'a corresponding recess 12 in the upper die block 88. The nubs 81 are so shaped as to impart to the lower surface of the strip S the configuration indicated in Figs. l3. l4 and 15. Also, as in the case of the upper die portions 12a and 121), the first four nubs 81a perform a coining operation while the last six nubs 81b are employed for anchoring.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing description that the coiningrecesses 12a and the coining nubs 810 are respectively identical in configuration and spacing to the anchoring recesses 12b and anchoring nubs 811) so that during anchoring although the previously shaped heads are restruck they are not reformed. However, as noted above, the ratio between the number of coining die elements and anchoring die elements is not a critical feature of my invention. To denote the similarity between the coining and anchoring die elements the same will be referred to in the claims as like elements, the term like" therefore denoting identity in configuration of the die elements but not necessarily identity of number.

Similarly mounted at the other end of the recess 88 is a holding block 88. Channels 88 and 88, cut in facing sides of the blocks 88 and 88, receive in a force fit the opposite ends of an anvil 8i. Said anvil is provided with groups of serrations 82 and 93 which cooperate with the cutting edges 16 and 18, respectively, to shape the iongitudinal edges of the strip S. The anvil also divides the space between the channels 85 into a pair of passageways 88 aligned with passageways (not shown) in the mounting plate 831; and bedplate 84 through which scrap 85 struck from the edge of the strip S may fall.

I-have also provided a pair of shoulders 82a and 82b at both ends of the serrated portions 82 between which pieces of scrap 85 struck from the strip S are squeezed and temporarily held to prevent them from sticking to the punches l4 and 15.

It will be seen that due to the construction above described, the several dies are rigidly and accurately held in assembled position and may be easily and readily disassembled for replacement, so that a high standard of precision can be maintained.

In order to prevent the strip s from sticking to the dies, upper and lower strippers are provided.

The lower stripper (Figs. 5 and 10) comprises a plunger 86 which slides in a bore 81 formed in the bedplate 44 and is urged upwardly by means of a compression spring 88. Extending vertically upward from the plunger through a bore in the jacket 83 is a stripper finger 88 having a rounded upper end which resiliently presses against the bottom face of the unformed portion of the strip 8 so as to press the same upwardly and away from the nubs 81 on the lower die 86. Upward movement of the finger 88 is limited by abutment of the plunger 88 with the backing plate 831:.

A stripper Hill (Figs. 4, 5, 9) prevents thestrip S from following the upper die Biiduringgising movement Of the crosshead 46. 'Said,..s'tripper may comprise a pair of flat side pieces I88 and m screwed to the stationary die jacket as. and provided with a pair of flanges I05 spaced from the upper face of the jacket. Pinned to the lower 1 surface of said flanges I05 are three abuttin stripper plates I05, I01 and I08 having a plurality and I are provided with a channel II to guide the strip 8 through the press 40 between the feed and take-up bobbins B.

Posts I I8 and I20, fixed to the lower di shoe 82 and passing through guide bushings I22 in the upper die shoe 48, ensure proper alignment of the coining and shearing dies.

Particular attention is directed to the arrangement and shape of-the slide fastener element's in the strip S. Said elements are all faced in the same direction in the strip S (see Figs. 12-1 4; and each element comprises a head I having the usual locking projection I32 and underlying socket I30. The projection I32 is provided with front, side and rear sloped uiding surfaces I36, I38 and I40 joined by concavely rounded corners I 52 and abrupt edges M3. Said projections I32 rise from between a pair of parallel co-planar flats I04 and I 46, which are joined by slopes I48 to the upper surface I50 of the jaws I52.

It will be noted that the lowest point I56 on the rear guiding surface I40 is disposed below the jaw surface I50, thus enabling the elements to clear each other more easily in the interlocking operation.

The jaws I52 comprise a pair of spread legs lying sockets uniformly formed and regularly positioned thereon, said apparatus comprising means to stamp a group of identical interlockable projections and underlying sockets in said blank stock, means to subsequently notch identical shaped portions out of the longitudinal edgesv of said stock at regular intervals in such relationship to the already stamped projections and sockets as to provide square corners on the jaws of slide fastener elements which may be severed from the strip and attached to a tape, and piloting means adapted to cooperate with the notched longitudinal edges to ensure accurate positioning of the stock in relation to the stamping and notching means.

2. An apparatus for manufacturing from blank stock a continuous strip havinga series of spaced slide fastener interlockable projections and underlying sockets uniformly formed and re ularly positioned thereon, said apparatus comprising means to stamp a group of identical interlockable projections and underlying sockets in said blank stock, meansto subsequently punch a group of serrations in the longitudinal edges of said stock at regular intervals in such relationship to the already stamped projections and sockets as to provide square corners on the jaws of slide fastener elements which may be severed I55, which are cut from the flats IM and I 45 along the dotted lines indicated in Fig. 21, in a manner hereinafter to be described. Each of the legs I55 projects angularly from its associated head I30 and includes an inner portion I55 (Fig. 12) which lies outside of and immediately adjacent the looking projection I32 on the next following slider element; an intermediate portion I58 which lies outside of and immediately adjacent a flat portion I50 of the locking projection on the next following slider element; and an outer portion I52 which comprises one of the serrations forming an edge of the strip S.

By forming and arranging the various parts of the slide fastener elements in this fashion, with the head of one element integral with and nested between'the spread legs of the next following element, I have eliminated all waste incident to the fabrication of slide fastener strings, except the scrap 95 struck from the sides of the strip from the strip and attached to a tape, piloting means adapted to cooperate with said serrations for maintaining said stock in proper registration with said stamping and punching means, and a common support for said punching means and said piloting means, said piloting means being disposed so as to lead said punching means.

3. An apparatus for manufacturing from blank stock a continuous strip having a series of spaced s1ide fastener interlockable projections and S, and also the elements thereby occupy the minimum length possible. 1

It will thus be seen that there is provided an apparatus and method for making-strips of integrally connected slide fastener elements in which the several objects of this invention are achieved, and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:-

1. An apparatus for manufacturing from blank stock a continuous strip having a series of spaced slide fastener interlockable projections and under.

underlying sockets uniformly formed and regularly positioned thereon, said apparatus comprising means to stamp a group of identical interlockable projections and underlying sockets in said blank stock, a punching die having a plurality of teeth adapted to form a group of serrations in the longitudinal edges of said strip in such relationship to the already stamped projections and sockets as to provide square corners on the jaws of slide fastener elements which may be severed from the strip and attached to a tape, the teeth in said die being identically shaped and identically disposed with respect to each other, and a piloting die having at least one tooth of the identical shape of the teeth in said punching die, said piloting tooth being spaced with respect to the endmost tooth in the punching die a distance equal toa multiple of the span between adjacent teeth thereon.

'4. An apparatus for manufacturing from blank stock a continuous strip having a series of spaced slide fastener interlockable projections and underlying sockets uniformly'formed and regularly positioned thereon, said apparatus comprising means to stamp a group of identical interlockable projections and underlying sockets in said' blank stock, a punching die for serrating the longitudinal edges of said strip atregular intervals in such relationship to the already stamped projections and sockets as to provide square corners on the jaws of'slide fastener elements which may be severed from the strip and attached -to a tape, and a piloting die having portions thereof identical with portions of said punching die and adapted to cooperate with the serrations formed by said punching die, the lower relationship to the already stamped projections and sockets as to provide square corners on the jaws of slide fastener elements which may be severed from the strip and attached to a tape, advancing the strip between successive group stampingoperations, and employing the endmost projection and socket of animmediately previously formed group to anchor the strip during the next succeeding group stamping operation.

6. In a method of manufacturing from a blank strip of stock a continuous strip having a series of spaced slide fastener interlockable projections and underlying sockets uniformly formed and regularly positioned thereon, the steps comprising successively stamping adjacentlydisposed groups of identical interlockable projections and underlying sockets along the length of said strip, serrating the longitudinal edges of said strip in such relationship to the already stamped projections and sockets as to provide square corner on the jaws of slide fastener elements which may be severed from the strip and attached to a tape, advancing the strip between successive group stamping operations, and employing the immediately previously formed group of projections and.

sockets to anchor the strip during the next succeeding group stamping operation.

'7. In a method of manufacturing from a blank strip of stock a continuous strip having a series of spaced slide fastener interlockable projections and underlying sockets uniformly formed and regularly positioned thereon, the steps comprising successively stamping adjacentiy disposed groups of identical interlockable projections and underlying sockets along the length of said strip, regularly serrating the longitudinal edges of said strip in such relationship to the already stamped projections and sockets as to provide square corners on the jaws of slide fastener elements which may be severed from the strip and attached to a tape, advancing the strip between successive group stamping operations, and employing a previously formed serration to pilot the strip during a succeeding stamping and serrating operation.

8. In a method of manufacturing from a blank strip of stock a continuous strip having a series of spaced slide fastener interlockable projections and underlying sockets uniformly formed and regularly positioned thereon, the steps comprisin-g successively stamping adjacently disposed groups of identical interlockable projections and underlying sockets along the length of said strip, punching out regular groups of identical portions from the longitudinal edges of the strip in such relationship to the already stamped projections and sockets as to provide square corners on the jaws of slide fastener elements which may be severed from the strip and attached to a tape, advancing the strip between successive group stamping operations, and employing the punched out portions to pilot the strip for succeeding group stamping and punching operations.

9. An apparatus for manufacturing from blank stock a continuous strip having a series of spaced slide fastener heads uniformly formed and reg.-

ularly positioned thereon, each head including an interlockable projection and an associated underlying socket, said apparatus comprising I in a portion of the stock under pressure between a pair of dies whose working faces negatively match the upper and lower surfaces of a plurality of successive, uniformly spaced and identically oriented heads, anchoring means to maintain constant the spacing between adjacent heads, said anchoring means including a pair of like dies immediately adjacent said first mentioned pair of dies for reconfining a plurality of previously stamped heads including the rearmost one thereof, during the stamping of the next following group of heads the foremost of which is immediately adjacent such already stamped rearmost head, so as to restrike without reforming a plurality of previously stamped heads includin such already stamped rearmost head while the next following group of heads is being stamped, means to intermittently feed said strip to and beyond said stamping and anchoring means a distance equal to the number of heads stamped by the stamping means.

10. An apparatus as set forth in claim 9 wherein the dies comprising the stamping means are U so shaped as to stamp at both sides of each head material along the longitudinal edges of the strip from which material jaws associated with the heads may be formed and wherein the dies comprising the anchoring means are so shaped as to restrike without reforming said material to both sides of each head as each head is restruck, said stamping and anchoring dies being so shaped that the heads and the jaws associated therewith are contiguous in th strip, whereby no scrap or waste material is present between adjacent heads and the material from which adjacent jaws are formed.

11. An apparatus for manufacturing from blank stock a continuous strip having a series ofspaced slide fastener heads uniformly formed and regularly positioned thereon, each head including an interlockable projection and an associated underlying socket, said apparatus comprising a row of several serially, identically arranged and spaced, identical die stamping elements for forming a-linear group of identical heads by intermittently cold flowing the metal in a portion of the stock under pressure between said die stamping elements, and means for feeding said stock intermittently along said row a distance equal to the span of a whole number of said elements, which number-is a plurality less than the number of all of said elements, so that less than all of said elements will form heads in said blank stock at each stamping stroke and the remaining plurality of elements will act as anchoring members which maintain a constant spacing between adjacent heads in successively stamped groups of heads. Y

12. An apparatus for manufacturing from blank stock a continuous strip comprising a series of directly joined slide fastener elements, each slide fastener element including an interlockabl projection and an associated underlying socket, said projections and sockets being uniformly formed and regularly positioned and spaced along the strip, saidapparatus comprising a single upper die and a single lower die, said upper die having a working face which negatively matches the pressions being identical, and each being of a shape corresponding to a finished fastener element, said impressions merging one into the other,

means to move said dies toward and away from each other, and means to intermittently feed said strip to and beyond said dies 9, distance equal to the span of a whole number of fastener elements less than all the fastener elements in said portion.

13. In a method of manufacturing from blank stock a continuous strip having a series of spaced slide fastener. heads uniformly formed and regularly positioned thereon, each head including an interlockable projection and underlying socket, the steps comprising stamping a head in said blank stock at successiv intervals by intermittently cold flowing the metal in a portion of the stock under pressure between a pair of dies whose working faces negatively match the upper and lower surfaces of a head, and maintaining constant the spacing between adjacent heads by restriking without reforming a plurality of previously stamped heads including the rearmost one thereof during the stamping of the next following head which is immediately adjacent such already stamped rearmost head, said restriking being effected by reconfining between like dies in successive groups as between adjacent heads in the groups by restriking without reforming a plurality of previously stamped heads including the rearmost one thereof during the stamping of the next following group of heads the foremost of which is immediately adjacent such already stamped rearmost head, said restriking being effected by reconfim'ng between like. dies said plurality of previously stamped heads while said next following group of heads is being stamped. 16. A method as set forth in claim 15 wherein during stamping the stock is so shaped as to provide material at both sides of the heads from which jaws associated with each head can be formed, wherein during restriking said material from which jaws can be formed is restruck without reforming each time a head is restruck, and wherein the heads and material'from which the jaws are formed are stamped in contiguous relationship so that no scrap or waste material is present between adjacent heads and the material from which adjacent jaws are formed.

' 17. An apparatus for manufacturing from blank stock a continuous strip having a series of spaced slide fastener heads uniformly formed and regularly positioned thereon, each head including an interlockable projection and an associated underlying socket, said apparatus comprising means to stamp at least one head in said blank 0 stock at successive intervals by intermittently said plurality of previously stamped heads while the next followin head is being stamped.

14. A method as set forth in claim 13 wherein the strip is fed intermittently a distance equal to the number of heads stamped.

15. In a method of manufacturing from blank stock a continuous strip having a series of spaced slide fastener heads uniformly formed and regularly positioned thereon, each head including an interlockable projection and underlying socket, the steps comprising simultaneously stamping in said blank stock at successive intervals a group of identical heads by intermittently cold flowing the metal in a portion of the stock under pressure between a pair of dies whose working faces negatively match the upper and lower surfaces of a plurality of successive, uniformly spaced and identically oriented heads, and maintaining the same relative position between adjacent heads cold flowing the metal in a portion of the stock under pressure between a pair of dies whose working faces negatively match the upper and lower surfaces of the number of heads stamped, an-

choring means to maintain constant the spacing between adjacent heads, said anchoring means including a pair of like dies immediately adjacent said first pair of dies for reconfining a plurality of previously stamped heads, including 40 the rearmost one thereof, during the stamping of the next following head which is immediately adjacent said already stamped rearmost head, so as to restrike without reforming a plurality of previously stamped heads including such already stamped rearmost head while the next following head is being stamped, and means to intermittently feed said strip to and beyond said stamping and anchoring means a distance equal to the number of heads stamped by the stamping means.

MAURICE VOITY. 

